1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a card processor for reading card data recorded in a card such a magnetic card or an IC card inserted in the insertion passage. More specifically, the invention relates to a card processor with which a customer inserts the card in the main body and pulls out or removes the card from the main body by hand.
2. Background of the Invention
There has been proposed a card processor for reading card data recorded in a magnetic card or an integrated circuit (IC) card. The card processor has been utilized in a variety of apparatuses such as an automated teller machine (ATM) installed in banking facilities.
Japanese patent publication JP-A-2001-167513 describes a manual type of card processor where the customer inserts the card through the insertion portion up to a set position, and pulls out the card from the set position or removes the card from the main body by hand.
In the manual type of magnetic card processor, the magnetic head is brought into contact with a magnetic stripe of the card to read the card magnetic data recorded in the card while the customer is inserting the card through the insertion portion up to the set position, or while the customer is removing the card from the set position. In the manual IC card processor, further, an IC contact is connected to an IC chip of the IC card inserted up to the set position to thereby read the electronic card data.
The insertion portion of a manual card processor is formed in a recessed shape by being cut away in a direction in which the card is inserted. Therefore, a rear end of the card at the set position is exposed to the external side. This permits the customer to pinch the rear end of the card until the card is inserted up to the set position or until the card is pulled out from the set position. The insertion passage is equipped with a wall or a pin with which a leading end of the card at the set position comes in contact, so that a card that has reached the set position will stop. Thus, the wall or pin works as a stopper for limiting the length of insertion of the card.
However, some customers of the manual card processor have become victims of a scam as described below, and thus, it has been urged to develop a card processor which is resistant to following scenario.
A thief inserts a steel plate in the card insertion portion. The steel plate has a thickness approximately equal as a card and a length longer than the card in the direction of insertion. When the leading end of the steel plate comes in contact with the stopper, the rear end of the steel plate is exposed to the outer side and is hit with a hammer to further drive the steel plate, thereby breaking the stopper. The steel plate is removed from the card processor, and the thief hides and waits for a customer to come.
The customer inserts his card up to the set position. However, since the stopper has been broken, the leading end of the card does not come in contact with the stopper. Accordingly, the customer pushes his card (beyond the set position) until the rear end of the card is no longer exposed to the external side. He finds himself no longer able to remove the card. He then looks for a clerk in charge.
While the customer is away from the card processor, the thief pulls out the card using, for example, a pair of tweezers.
It is an object of this invention to provide a card processor capable of preventing the card from being stolen by cheating by notifying the breakage of the stopper or card processor or by executing an error processing such as inhibiting the insertion of the card. The card processor of this invention includes an insertion passage which is provided with a stopper member. Additionally, there is a breakage detector for detecting whether said stopper member has been broken, and an error processor for executing an error process when the breakage detector senses that the stopper member has been broken. When the card is inserted by a predetermined length into the insertion passage formed in the main body, the leading end of the card comes in contact with the stopper member. Therefore, if the stopper member has not been broken, the card is not inserted in the main body in excess of a predetermined length. By forming the insertion passage so that a card which has its leading end in contact with the stopper member is exposed at its rear end to the external side, the customer can insert and take out or remove the card. The stopper member may have any shape with which will come in contact the leading end of the card that is inserted by, for example, a predetermined length, and may be a wall formed in the direction of width of the card or may be a plurality of pins arranged in the direction of width of the card.
The card may be, for example, a magnetic card, an IC card or a composite card thereof In the case of the magnetic card, the magnetic head is brought into contact with the magnetic stripe of the magnetic card to read the card data recorded therein while the card is being inserted in the main body or is taken out from the main body. In the case of the IC card, the terminal portion on the side of the main body may be electrically connected to an IC chip of the IC card inserted by a predetermined length in the main body to read the card data.
Further, the breakage detector detects any breakage of the stopper. When the breakage of the stopper is detected, the error processing is executed by the error processor. The error processing executed by the error processor may be the one for blocking the insertion passage by a shutter or the like so that the card cannot be inserted in the main body, or may be the one demonstrating the breakage of the stopper member and producing an alarm sound so that the customer will not insert the card in the main body.
The card reader of the present invention therefore prevents a customer from inserting a card into a card reader having a broken stopper member and, hence, prevents the customer from inserting the card so deeply into card reader that the card cannot be taken out.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the breakage detector can detect whether a conductor/conducting-wire that runs along the stopper member has been cut. The conductor runs along the stopper member, and the conductor is cut if the stopper member is broken. Thus, whether the stopper member is broken can be detected by determining whether the conductor is cut.
Alternatively, the stopper member can include a pawl portion formed at a position between a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit arranged facing each other, and the breakage detector means detects whether the light-receiving unit is receiving light emitted from the light-emitting unit. If the stopper member is broken, the pawl member moves from between the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit that are arranged facing each other, and light emitted from the light-emitting unit is received by the light-receiving unit. Therefore, whether the stopper member is broken can be detected by determining whether light emitted from the light-emitting unit is received by the light-receiving unit.
According to another aspect of the invention, the card reader may include a shielding member which is directly or indirectly anchored to said stopper member, and shields the insertion passage when the stopper member has been broken or is in a state of not being anchored. The insertion passage is shielded when the shielding member which is directly or indirectly anchored to the stopper member, or when the shielding member is no longer anchored due to the breakage of the stopper member. Therefore, when the stopper member is broken, the customer is prevented from inserting the card in the main body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the breakage detection notifies a host unit connected to the card processor when the stopper member broken. The host unit notifies the customer of the interruption of service or the interruption of the card processing.